Gov. Phil Scott (D) appointed Kelley Tully to the Windham-3 District seat in the Vermont House of Representatives last week. Tully assumed office on April 11. The seat was vacated when Matt Trieber, who had served in the legislature for nine years, resigned in February to focus on his job as a youth counselor.

Tully worked as a nurse for 25 years and is the president and vice president of two fuel and transportation companies. Scott cited Tully’s experience in the business and healthcare sectors as a motivating factor for the appointment, indicating these skills would be useful in the legislature during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Tully will serve the remainder of Trieber’s term, which ends on January 6, 2021. She is one of the five state legislators filling a 2020 vacancy who has not filed to run for re-election, but there is more than a month left before Vermont’s May 28 statewide filing deadline. Tully is one of 95 Democrats in the Vermont House, who hold a majority over 43 Republicans, seven members of the Vermont Progressive Party, and five independents. With her appointment, there are zero vacancies remaining in the state legislature.

Additional reading:
Matt Trieber
State legislative vacancies, 2020